The Story Of World War 1 Aviation

Notable Aircraft of the Great War

The Albatros D.II's twin, synchronous machine guns set the standard for other fighters.

Sopwith Pup

The Sopwith Pup quickly became a favorite with pilots of the Royal Naval Air Service.

Nieuport 17 1916

The highly maneuverable Nieuport 17 helped end Germany's domination of the air war.

The Spark That Set the World Aflame

The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife in Sarajevo, Bosnia on June 28th of 1914 set off a conflict that engulfed Europe, and America. When Austria declared war on Serbia that day. By the end of the year the regional conflict exploded into a war that spanned the globe.

The Early Evolution of Flight

The history of World War One aviation is a rich and varied story. The Great War consumed the world in a conflict that was unrivaled until that time. It was a kind of war far different than was waged on the ground where gains were measured in inches and wholesale death on both sides of the trenches. The fight for control of the air was where the cunning, and bravery of the individual could matter for much. This website is my tribute to those fragile aircraft and to the brave pilots on both sides that flew them.

The Race for Military Aviation Technological Supremacy

The story of World War One Aviation is the race to turn fragile powered kite-like experiments in aeronotics into mass-produced sturdy lethal war machines. The story is full of success and failure as designers struggled to solve the problems of military aviation